Huge Storm Unleashed Hail, Snow, Tornadoes, Floods, Putting 42M Americans at Risk

After almost 500 reports of wind damage and hail over the weekend, 42 million Americans were in the path of a storm Monday night. A front stretching from Texas to the northeast unleashed heavy rain, damaging winds, tornadoes and flooding.

An EF-2 tornado with speeds up to 125 miles per hour ripped through South Bend, Indiana. Thankfully, no children were inside the Growing Kids Learning Center when the roof was ripped off.
 
But authorities say the heavy rains did claim the life of an Oklahoma woman who died after her car was swept into a creek.

Residents in Jackson, Missouri are cleaning up after Sunday's storm damaged virtually every neighborhood in the city.

Floods also rolled through Missouri. Two kids in the town of Monett had to be rescued when they fell into fast-moving water.

Lightning from this same system destroyed a home in Spring, Texas, and a dangerous lightning strike almost hit fans at an outdoor concert in Kansas.

In Houston, the rains nearly cost a man his life. Highway traffic cameras were recording as first responders rescued him from rising waters.

Houston District Fire Chief James Watson said, "Ultimately the most important thing is his life, so we was able to get him out of the water."

In the mountains of Colorado, the precipitation came down as snow; 20 inches on the opening day of summer.  Officials say the state's snow pack is 40 times normal, also because of heavy spring snow.  

It has extended the skiing season and should lower the risk of wildfires.

Meanwhile, Europe is in the grips a major heat wave. In Paris, authorities have issued an orange alert for intense heat, as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Air conditioning is not widespread in France, and there were 15,000 heat related deaths during a heat wave in 2003.

Here at home, meteorologists say a change in the jet stream will bring a much needed reprieve from the severe weather over the next few days.